My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

The secret weapon?

Liu Bei narrowed his eyes, pondered for a while, and then suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Bowen, are you referring to that Lian..."

"Your Majesty, cough cough~~"

Xiao coughed lightly a few times, signaling to Lao Liu to keep it a secret for the time being.

Liu Bei suddenly understood, swallowed back the words he had only uttered halfway through, and laughed heartily:
"Very well, I understand. With this divine artifact, 30,000 infantry and cavalry will be sufficient."

"Following Bowen's plan, I will lead the main force west to attack Cao Cao, while Bowen will lead 30,000 infantry and cavalry north to wipe out the Wuhuan!"

Xiao He smiled and accepted the order.

The generals' appetites were whetted, and they all wondered what kind of divine weapons their Grand Commandant Xiao had forged for them.

However, Xiao He deliberately kept it a secret and refused to divulge any information, so the generals could only suppress their speculations.

The strategy was thus set.

The next day, Liu Bei left 10,000 elite troops to guard Ji County, while he led an army of 260,000 westward to pursue Cao Cao.

Xiao He led 30,000 infantry and cavalry northward along the Gu River, heading straight for the Great Wall.

The army advanced north and within three days captured Changping, Anle, and Yuyang City, the seat of Yuyang County.

The army crossed the Yanshan Mountains, marched north beyond the Great Wall, and headed straight for the Wuhuan Chanyu, Tingguangping…

Guangping City, the Xiongnu chieftain's tent.

A grand banquet is underway.

Tian Yu, who had fled Ji County, arrived at Guangping ahead of Tadun with Cao Cao's "edict" and announced Cao Cao's investiture to Tadun.

He was granted the title of Duke of Liaoxi and the fiefdoms of Yuyang, Youbeiping, and Liaoxi, which were designated as the Wuhuan fiefdoms. The Wuhuan tribes were permitted to migrate and reside there.

After Tadun led the Wuhuan cavalry south and defeated the Chu army, Cao Cao would marry one of his daughters to Tadun, thus forming a marriage alliance between the two families.

This imperial edict naturally filled Tadun with joy and elation.

Since the Wuhuan submitted to the Han Dynasty decades ago and moved to the foot of Yanshan Mountain, north of the Great Wall, the dream of successive Wuhuan Chanyu has been to one day cross the Great Wall and occupy a place in the heart of Youzhou.

Today, my dream has finally come true.

Yuyang, Youbeiping, and Liaoxi—that's three whole prefectures!

These three prefectures were considered harsh and desolate border regions by the Han people, but by the Wuhuan people, they were a paradise they longed for.

Having obtained the three commanderies south of the Great Wall as his fiefdom, and being enfeoffed as the Duke of Liaoxi by Cao Cao, the ruler of the Han people, Tadun accomplished the great feat that previous Chanyu had failed to achieve, and became the greatest Chanyu in the history of the Wuhuan!
In addition, he could marry the daughter of the King of Wei and become the son-in-law of the Celestial Emperor!

What an honor!

Tadun was overjoyed and hosted a grand banquet to warmly welcome Tian Yu, the envoy from the Great Wei.

“Now my king has led his army to retreat westward to Shanggu, inducing the traitor Da'er to mobilize the entire nation's army to pursue him westward. The Chu army along the Jixian line must be weak.”

"When will the Duke of Liaoxi send his Wuhuan cavalry south to seize Ji County and cut off Liu Bei's supply lines, causing the Chu army to collapse without a fight?"

"In this way, the Duke of Liaoxi will be able to successfully marry the daughter of the King of Wei and take over the three counties of Yuyang."

After a few drinks, Tian Yu subtly urged Tadun to send troops as soon as possible.

Tadun downed a cup of wine, smashed the glass, and was about to speak with an air of bravado.

"Great Chanyu!"

Prince Su Puyan interrupted Tadun first, saying:
"I have heard that King Liu Bei of Chu is a military genius, and his Grand Commandant Xiao He is a brilliant strategist. The two of them are invincible when they join forces. Even King Wei has been defeated many times. Now, even Youzhou has fallen into Liu Bei's hands."

"Whether the Great Chanyu should lead his troops south to fight Liu Bei is something I think we should carefully consider."

Tadun was startled, and the triumphant look on his face was instantly replaced by a hint of apprehension.

Su Puyan then reminded him that the State of Chu was powerful and that he should not overestimate his strength and rashly start a war with Liu Bei.

Once war breaks out, it's tantamount to offending Liu Bei and the behemoth that is the State of Chu.

Given Karasuma's current size, are you really that brave?
Reminded by Su Puyan, Tadun calmed down. Tian Yu, seeing Tadun's concerns, immediately said seriously:

"The State of Chu is indeed powerful; otherwise, my king would not have been forced to abandon Ji County, retreat west to Shanggu, and invite the Duke of Liaoxi to send troops to help him."

"However, since ancient times, the outcome of wars has not been determined by the number of troops. Otherwise, how could my king have defeated Yuan Shao in the Battle of Guandu?"

As he spoke, Tian Yu ordered his attendant to unfold a map and lay it out in front of Tadun.

“Liu Bei is indeed powerful, but as Yu just said, Liu Bei’s main force has now been led by my king to the Shanggu direction, and his troops in the Jixian area do not exceed 10,000.”

"If Your Majesty leads your iron cavalry south now, you will have an absolute numerical advantage over the Chu army along the Ji County line, and you will surely be able to defeat them in one fell swoop."

"As long as we capture Ji County and cut off Liu Bei's supply lines and retreat, even if he only has 300,000 troops, or even a million, he will collapse without a fight!"

Tian Yu pointed to the map, analyzing with a confident expression.

Tadun's previously wary expression was rekindled with a hint of fierce confidence, and he couldn't help but nod slightly.

Tian Yu abruptly changed the subject, his tone suddenly turning icy:

"The Duke of Liaoxi is a man of great talent and ambition; he must have heard of the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.'"

"Imagine if Youzhou were truly under Liu Bei's control, would he treat the Wuhuan as kindly as the King of Wei, granting land and establishing a marriage alliance with the Duke of Liaoxi, or would he turn against the Wuhuan to eliminate the border troubles of Youzhou, so that he could concentrate his forces to destroy our Great Wei in the future?"

Tian Yu finally brought up the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" (meaning that if one's lips are gone, the other will be vulnerable).

Tadun shivered.

At this moment, Khan Wuyan Teng, who was standing to the side, leaped up, cupped his hands, and said:

“Great Chanyu, Colonel Tian is right. Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan are from the same school. If he takes Youzhou, he will definitely use force against us.”

"In that case, we should take the initiative and help the King of Wei drive him out of Youzhou."

"Moreover, relocating to the interior of Youzhou is something that our Wuhuan people have sought for generations. Now that we finally have the opportunity to realize it, how could the Great Chanyu miss such a good opportunity?"

Having said that, Wu Yan said with a sigh:

"I, the young king, am willing to lead my Wuhuan cavalry as the vanguard to conquer Ji County for the Great Chanyu, defeat the Chu army, and reclaim the three commanderies for the Great Chanyu!"

Tadun stood up, toying with his wine cup, and paced around the tent, weighing his options.

If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; the dream of the Wuhuan people, the greatest Wuhuan Chanyu…

Each word stimulated Ta Dun's nerves.

Tian Yu clenched his fists, held his breath, and stared intently at Tadun, his nerves on edge.

Sudden.

Tadun stopped in his tracks, and when he suddenly turned around, his face was now filled with arrogance and determination.

"The King of Wei has treated me so kindly, how could I not repay him!"

"My mind is made up. I will immediately lead my Wuhuan cavalry south, cross the Great Wall, and take Ji County!"

"I will help the King of Wei defeat the 300,000-strong Chu army and defend Youzhou!"

Wu Yan was excited.

Su Puyan frowned and shook his head inwardly.

Tian Yu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly praised Tadun's wisdom and righteousness, repeatedly assuring him that Cao Cao would not let Tadun down.

The plan to send troops was thus decided.

Tadun then raised his wine cup, intending to say something inspiring to the young kings and their generals.

Just then, a scout rushed in, shouting:
"Reporting to the Great Chanyu, Xiao He, the Grand Commandant of Chu, has led 30,000 infantry and cavalry northwards, successively capturing cities such as Changping and Yuyang. His vanguard has already appeared and is approaching Yanshan, directly threatening the court of our Chanyu of Guangping!"

Tadun was greatly surprised.

The smile on Tian Yu's face vanished instantly, and his expression changed drastically. (End of Chapter)